Walk A Mile

By Joey Paul

It’s the year 2050 and it’s possible for people to literally walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Enter Hetti, eighteen, and fresh out of training college, joining the police force alongside her best friend Layla. She’s excited about finally getting to do some practical work after spending so long talking about it in college.

Except her first cases are throwing up a few confusing signs. Is it possible that someone is using the Walk A Mile software to kill? And if they are, can Hetti find them before they find her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joey Paul
• Release date: Jun 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9780995759329

Joey Paul

Joey Paul is a multi-award-winning indie author, exploring young adult. She has released twenty-one books so far, with another due out in 2024. Her current works include the "Dying Thoughts" series, which is eight books, the "Lights Out" trilogy, the "Cramping Chronicles" series, as well as several standalone novels. She writes across genres, with crime, mystery, paranormal, sci-fi and dystopian being the ones most frequently on her list. She is writing her next two books at the moment, having recently finished her last two.Joey is disabled and a graduate from The Open University with a BA (Hons) in Health & Social Care. When not reading medical textbooks, she enjoys reading crime novels, medical dramas and young adult novels. When she's out and about, she likes looking for Tupperware in the woods with GPS satellites, otherwise known as geocaching. And when she's not doing THAT, she's sleeping! She's 42 and has been writing since she was retired from her job on medical grounds at the age of 19. She plans to write for as long as she has ideas or until someone tells her to stop!

Book preview

It was September 2nd 2050 and I started my job as a police constable the next day. My name is Hetti Fyfe. I’ve just finished the last two years of my job training. It was for the two years after secondary school when you’d go to the job centre. You know when you do the quiz where they’d ask you all about your aspirations and that shit? Well, I apparently tested to be a police officer and so I, along with the other sixteen-year-olds, was sent to the police training college. I don’t know why I’m writing this; maybe so that one day I can look back and think about what it was like to work a case with my new fresh eyes? Maybe just because I want a record of how things happened at the beginning of my career? Whatever the reason, I’m writing it, and you’re reading it, so it must be something interesting.

I’m tall, skinny and have long black hair. I’m the spitting image of my father, or at least I would be if he were a woman. Davina, my sister, was called Dav for short, and she takes after our mum. Dav’s disabled, she has fibromyalgia, epilepsy and sleep apnoea, and uses a wheelchair most of the time. Some days she can’t even get out of bed to go to school. Our mum takes care of her, and Dad works at a computer company doing tech support. Thankfully the pain patch and her meds patch helped to see off the majority of her symptoms, but she still suffered. I think when the time comes for her to test at the job centre, she’ll be assigned an ‘at home’ job. Or at least I hope so. I couldn’t begin to imagine what her life would be like if she were forced into training, but that’s a bridge we’ll cross if it happens.

My roommate through training college was Layla Dumas. She was a trust fund kid, but she still had to work: those are the rules. She’s like me and is tall and super skinny, but her skin is tanned while mine is a pasty white from spending too much time studying indoors. Layla was also due to start work tomorrow and I couldn’t begin to imagine the trouble she’d get in. When I’d first met her at college, I was desperate to switch roommates because her reputation preceded her. She was said to be a spoilt brat. She had the newest technology; her tablet was a 3D projection and she’s always upgraded the moment she could. I guess it would’ve been nice to have that kind of luxury. My tablet was only a 3D starter, but it did the job it was supposed to and it wasn’t like my family could afford to splurge on things that I didn’t need, not with Dav’s medical bills. The only good thing about the NHS was that they didn’t charge for hospital treatment, but if it wasn’t an emergency, then you paid for what you received. While the government stopped insurance companies from penalising those like Dav who were chronically ill, the government didn’t tell the insurance companies that they had to ignore pre-existing conditions. Some weeks the only reason Dav got her meds and pain patch was because Dad worked overtime. We’re all lucky enough to be covered by Dad’s insurance from his job, but the price to see a doctor when the cover runs out for the year (which it usually does by the beginning of April), is astronomical; sometimes as much as one hundred pounds. We just didn’t have that. At the same time, if Dav was sick and needed to see a doctor, we couldn’t risk her health, or her life, by just not going. It’s one of the reasons I’m glad that I tested into a job that will pay enough for me to live off, as well as send some money home to my parents for Dav’s meds and health needs.

One other good thing I was pleased about was that I already had a great friend in Layla. Despite all my misgivings about sharing a room with her for two years, we’d actually become really close. We got a flat together closer to work and planned to share for a few years, or longer if we needed to. We’d been told a lot in the training college about how we’d be expected to do myriad different shift patterns until we found the one that worked best for us. The only problem was, it was a two hour drive from home, and I wanted to make sure that Dav knew I was still thinking about her. So it also helped that Layla had brought a Walk A Mile present for my sister, she was going to love that.

They were developed by people with chronic conditions to give them the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes, or for someone to walk in theirs. It was all big in the beginning, I’m told, but by the time I was born, they’d started to restrict use to one hour at a time because of the spate of random suicides. It used to just be shoes that encased the program microchip, after all that was the idea: that you walked a mile in someone else’s shoes. Anyway, now that it was restricted and taxed beyond the grasp of a working-class family, it was usually Layla (or me on very special occasions) that bought Dav the chance to be pain free for a while.

Oh my stars, Layla, thank you!! Dav said, when she saw the hat that was wrapped up in the WAM packaging. I only had one left, and I was getting worried that I’d have to restrict myself to the worst day ever!

Since it wasn’t often that Dav was able to get her hands on WAM items, she always saved them for days when she felt her worst and was desperate for an hour of freedom from her chair.

No problem, sweetie, Layla said, smiling. Now, this one is special, it’s a musician’s hat so you be careful when you use it!

Oh, I will! Dav replied, as my mum came in from the kitchen. Layla, Dav and I were sat in the living room, we’d only arrived about five minutes before.

Oh, Layla Dumas, you spoil that child, Mum said, with a smile.

It’s no problem, Mrs. Fyfe, I just love to see her happy, Layla replied.

Please, honey you can call me Sophia! How long have we known each other? It’s time you dropped the formalities! Mum said.

Layla had once confided in me that while it looked to anyone looking in that she had the ‘perfect’ life, her parents had always been distant. She loved coming with me on trips home because she loved how welcoming my parents were. I realised that she’d spent a lot of her childhood with people who weren’t related to her, so for her, being pulled into a hug by my mum was something unfamiliar. We may not have had much in a monetary sense as a family, but my parents knew how to do love and kindness.

Of course, Sophia, Layla said as Mum released her from her grip. Now, can I help with dinner?

No need, Jonah will be home in thirty minutes, why don’t you both relax? You start work tomorrow! Mum said, waving away Layla as she tried to follow her into the kitchen.

I sat watching Dav as she read the back of the WAM box. I hadn’t had a chance to look at it myself, but I daren’t take it off her because she looked so happy. Layla soon joined me back on the couch.

Whatcha thinking, Hetti? she said, poking me gently in the arm.

"Just wondering what the first day will be like. I mean, I know we did that shadowing thing for a week, but the woman I followed did not like that I was there, let alone when I asked questions! I replied, turning so that I was facing her, with my back against the arm of the couch and my feet tucked in under me. Oh, and thanks for that, I added, tilting my head in the direction of Davina. She’ll enjoy having an hour free, her pain’s been bad these past weeks. I just thank the stars that her patch can go up automatically."

That was the beauty of transdermal patches. They were so smart these days that they registered what level of pain killers were needed without the patient having to do anything. The medication patch was a little different, but worked in a similar way. It made sure that the levels of the drugs Davina took for her epilepsy were correct and adjusted itself with the touch of a screen by her GP.

The pain patches had been around for years, before I was even born, but the medication one had only been available for about ten years. There had been a lot of praise from the chronic illness community that the pain patches could detect the level of pain, so there was almost no chance of abuse of the meds. Same with the medicine patches to a degree. For some meds, the patches adjusted themselves, but for drugs like epilepsy treatments they had to be adjusted by a medical doctor. Thankfully, they could usually do that at the hospital if Dav had had a fit.

It’s no problem. You know I don’t have any siblings and I love seeing the look on her face. She’s like a little sister to me and it’s not like I don’t have the money to spoil her, Layla said, waving off my gratitude. Now, I’m gonna go vape in the garden, I’ll be back in like five minutes.

I waved her off and pulled my tablet up. I figured I might as well look at my first week’s schedule, since work did start in the morning. We still had to get back to the apartment, but thankfully it was only an hour’s drive. I didn’t like that I couldn’t work at my parent’s local station, but they assigned you to where you were needed and you didn’t get any choice in the matter.

Wake up, Heyla, I said into the tablet microphone.

I knew it was a dumb name, but when it had crashed and I’d had to set it up again, Layla had suggested mashing our names together and a name was born. Her tablet was Latti. Once the screen had switched on, I said, Open work schedule.

The 3D image of a table with shifts blocked out appeared, hovering just over my tablet’s screen. I was working the 8am to 8pm shift, as was Layla. It was going to be a long day, and by the look of things, we weren’t going to be back at our flat before nine at the earliest.

I sighed, shut the tablet to sleep and headed into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could do to help. After all, I was technically an adult now that I’d finished training college. I hoped that it’d be as fun and interesting as the lessons over the past two years had been.

[TWO]

When my alarm went off at six am, I was cursing the extra helping of chocolate cake Layla and I’d had at my parent’s house. At the time, we’d said it was a good idea because we were starting the rest of our lives the next day. However, it’d meant that we’d not gotten home until gone ten and by the time I’d wound down enough to sleep, it was nearer to eleven. Now my alarm was blaring and I wanted to take something heavy and break it. No such luck. I had to go to work - it wasn’t college anymore: this was grown up stuff.

I got up and could hear Layla having similar problems with the early start. I grabbed my uniform and headed to the bathroom, since I figured if I was quick I would beat her there. She always took forever getting ready. She, like me, had long hair, but she was always indecisive about how to style it. Now that we were officially police constables, we’d be wearing our hair up in a bun, and out of the way, so Layla shouldn’t take too long.

Having a shower, I called out, as I got into the bathroom and shut the door.

Wake me when you’re done, Layla shouted. Dammit, this was going to be harder than I thought. No matter how long she’d slept, Layla always had trouble getting out of bed. She’d been the same at college. The issue here was that although we were working the same shift this week, we might not be in the weeks that followed. I did not want to be become her personal alarm. If she was working days and I was on nights, I wasn’t going to be the one to battle with her to get her up, ready and out the door on time. I was a lot of things to Layla, but I was not her mother!

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as I stood under the shower head. I made sure that it was my shampoo and conditioner in the pipe and then just let the water spray over me, waking me up easily. When I was sufficiently awake, I pressed the buttons for first shampoo, and then after I’d rinsed my hair, conditioner. Not fifteen minutes later I was out of the shower, mostly in my new police uniform, and tying back my hair so that I could pull it up into a bun.

I opened the door to the bathroom and heard nothing. Layla must’ve been serious about me waking her once the bathroom was free. So I headed in the direction of her room. Yeah, she was eighteen and more than old enough to get herself out of bed, but it was also our first day.

Layla, time to get up! I shouted, while also pressing the button to open her curtains.

Five minutes, she mumbled.

Nope, now! Don’t make me spray you with cold water! I said cheerfully. And for the record, I will do this only once, so you better get yourself used to the early mornings, I added.

"You can not be human if you’re this awake at, she said, looking at the clock projected on the wall, six-twenty-two in the morning."

Up! Get up! First day and you don’t want to make a bad impression! I said in a sing-song voice. I was enjoying her torment a little bit too much, but hey, I took my thrills where I could get them!

I headed out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen so that I could get myself some breakfast. I would also make myself a cup of tea as well as a very strong coffee for Layla. I heard the bathroom door close about five minutes later and then heard the shower start, so I figured she was as up and with it as she was ever going to be. Well, she’d adjust; we both would.

We’d done a week shadowing someone in the local station while we’d been doing our training. Thankfully, they’d allowed us to work the nine to five shift, which seemed early to us back then, but now this was the real thing. If we wanted to do well, we needed to be on time.

I put some bread in the toaster and went to grab my tablet from the charging dock. Layla’s tablet was next to mine, a sleek purple one that had barely any scuffs compared to mine, which was four years old and pretty much considered obsolete these days. I hoped that when I’d been working for a while I’d be able to save up and treat myself to either a newer second-hand one or even a brand new one, which was something I’d never had.

I spoke to Heyla and spent the next twenty minutes reading the news headlines, using my fingers to swipe the 3D image from one story to the next. There was nothing of importance in the paper, except that King William’s daughter was possibly going to be married. I’d always wondered if Charlotte would go against the grain and stay a single Royal, rather than marry because it was expected of her. Charlotte was thirty-four and until George and his wife, Clara, produced an heir, there was always the chance she would rise to the throne.

Layla appeared in the kitchen looking smart in her brand new uniform. Her hair was tied tightly into a bun and she looked like she’d transformed in the shower from a grumpy zombie to a bright, cheerful police officer. She grabbed a cup of coffee, stole one of my slices of toast and picked up Latti to check her own emails and messages. We sat there, opposite ends of the table, and got ourselves ready for our first day of paid work.

I couldn’t drive yet, so it was down to Layla to get us to work. We’d both had emails from the station telling us the names of our new shift partner. The idea was to connect someone who had at least a year’s experience with someone new. I was nervous about meeting my mentor; her name was Sabrina Clover and the email said that she, along with the other newly appointed shift partners, would be meeting us in the canteen. Layla had been partnered up with a man called Kevin; she wasn’t too bothered by it all and was just excited to finally get to the practical part of the job. Layla wasn’t a big one for exams and studying.

We pulled into the police car park at around seven forty-five. I hated being late, so much so that I’d leave super early just in case I was waylaid at some point. Layla was just the opposite and would turn up when she damn well pleased. It being out first day, we’d left early enough to please my sensibilities. Otherwise, I’d have nagged her to death.

Once the car was stopped, I was about to jump out when Layla put her hand on my arm.

Now, before we go, I just want you to remember that it’s our first day! We made it, yay! Now, go and meet whatsherface and I’ll meet my partner and then we’ll go kick criminal arse!

I smiled at her. She always knew the right things to say to make me feel more at ease. I nodded my head, then we high-fived each other, got out of the car and headed in the direction of the door that was closest to the canteen.

It was only when we stepped inside the station that I realised just how nervous I felt. This wasn’t like shadowing. This was real. I had the power to arrest someone, to meet them on the worst day of their life and make a difference. While that was humbling, it was also damn right scary. I shuddered and Layla looked at me.

You okay? she said quietly.

Yeah, just first day nerves, I replied.

I wanted to reach out and grab her hand, but this was the grown up world. I couldn’t go through my life holding Layla’s hand whenever I got scared. I pushed the thought to one side and tried to concentrate on taking in my surroundings. It was no use though; I was just too nervous. All I could think about was whether or not my shift partner would be nice or if she’d haze me or something. I didn’t want to have to deal with something like that.

We entered the canteen; there was a group of people all dressed the same. There didn’t seem to be any order to the whole thing. I kept looking around, hoping that I’d spot Sabrina, or she’d spot me. I didn’t do too well in crowded spaces. Layla stayed by my side and although she would never admit it, I could see from her pinched expression that she was nervous as well.

Luckily for her, she spotted Kevin. She’d told me he was nineteen, and I turned to take in the face of the man who would be training my best friend. He was tall, with dark skin, and glasses that hung perfectly on his nose. He also looked very serious. When he made eye contact with us, he gave a small smile, and then motioned for Layla to join him.

I was left alone trying to get through the group, when someone grabbed my arm. Are you Hetti Fyfe? the voice asked.

Yeah, I said, turning round to face the person talking to me. Are you Sabrina?

Nice to meet you, she said, pulling me out of the mass of people still searching for their partners, and held out her hand for me to shake. I took it and hoped I didn’t look as terrified as I felt. She was medium height, pale white skin, had black hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses.

Yeah, same, I said.

I didn’t know where all my manners (and my words) had gone, but the thought of being away from Layla, who let’s face it, had kept me sane the last two years, made me anxious.

We’re off on patrol, I’ve already got our assignment. Do you drive? she asked, leading me out of the canteen.

No, Layla always drives me everywhere, I replied, trying to find my friend’s face so I could at least wave goodbye.

Good, because one thing I hate is to be the passenger. I’ll drive, even when you learn, okay? she asked. I nodded. Right, let’s get out there, she added, as I followed her down the corridor.

I had no idea what my first day was going to entail, but that’s how it started.

[THREE]

Before we got to the car, we stopped at a desk that was filled to the brim with welcome packs. Sabrina took the chance to grab mine, thrusting a tablet at me so I could sign that I’d received it. Inside the pack was a micro SD card that would probably contain information about my new position, a bio on Sabrina, and the camera glasses. I’d forgotten all about those, so I was a little taken aback when I saw them. Sabrina had been wearing glasses when I met her and I thought they were an old-fashioned way of correcting a vision problem.

I opened the case that held the glasses. They had an inbuilt camera that snapped a picture every two seconds, and some even had the ability to record sound. We had to wear them at all times, for both our own and the general public’s safety. The pictures were uploaded to the cloud that, if I recalled correctly, holds up to one hundred petabytes of data. The police station had a whole floor of people who sifted through the photos and kept the important ones. The idea behind them was that if there was always a camera recording our every move, no suspect could cry foul and say we planted evidence or that we beat them up. It was a system in place to protect both us and them.

Why do you look so surprised? Sabrina asked, taking the glasses from my hand and putting them on me. It’s something every officer has to get used to. Don’t worry about using the toilet or whatever, they only see what the glasses see. You only have to wear them while on duty.

Yeah, I know, just kinda forgot about them in the excitement of starting work, I mumbled.

I repositioned the glasses so they were comfortable on my ears and saw that Sabrina had already started heading off to the car. I wanted to call out and tell her to wait for me, but I got the impression that this was her way of breaking me into the job. Crime scenes did not wait for me to catch up.

By the time I had caught up with Sabrina, she was sat behind the wheel of a police car. It was white with sharp blue lines down the middle and on the sides. I couldn’t see the top of the car, but I knew it would contain the call sign number in case we needed air assistance. I climbed in just as Sabrina was looking at the inbuilt 3D tablet screen.

Looks like we’re off our normal assignment, someone’s found a body near the river. We’ve been told to check it out, she said. Better strap in, Fyfe, blue lights all the way.

Okay, I said, nodding, my eyes a little wide at the thought of the sirens.

I knew I probably looked a complete newbie, but it was both terrifying and exhilarating that I was finally doing something after all the theory work at college. However, the last thing I needed to do was burn out in the first five minutes so I reigned in my anticipation. Not just because it was only five past eight and I still had a long way to go before I got home, but also because I was going to the scene of what could very well be a murder. Getting all excited about it seemed very, very wrong.

Sabrina drove like a bat out of hell. She ran red lights, she barely missed mounting the pavement a few times, and I was beginning to wonder if it had been such a great idea to tell her I would always let her drive. I mean, she hadn’t given me much choice, and since she was the senior member of the team, I did have to defer to her judgement. Still I wanted to make it to the crime scene without becoming part of one myself.

I don’t know how long it took us to get to the river. When we arrived, I saw there was an ambulance with two paramedics stood talking to each other. I wondered if they’d already been down to the riverside to see if the victim was beyond help, or if they’d just waited for us to arrive.

Morning Sabrina, one of them said, smiling at my partner in a way that told me they’d probably dated at one point.

Morning John, she replied. You check it out?

Yeah, we called it in actually. Got an anon 999 call, headed out blue lights flashing and found him dead. He’s been stabbed about ten times I’d guess from the amount of blood. Nothing we could do, so we called you guys, John explained. He nodded his head in my direction. New recruit? he asked.

Yeah, she started today. Let’s see how much she remembers from college, Sabrina said, as if I wasn’t stood there watching and listening to everything that was said. I’d made some mental notes about the discovery of the body, so that I would be able to put it all in my report later.

So, Fyfe, Sabrina said. Let’s go show you your first murder scene.

She had a wry grin on her face and I saw a glint in her eye. This was another part of her plan to see how well I’d stand up over the coming weeks. I knew that if I fainted or puked at the sight of a dead body, then I was probably never going to live it down. I took a deep breath and followed her and John as they led the way to the scene of my first murder case.

We reached the river bank and John stepped back to let me and Sabrina do what we needed to do. The body was a young white male. If I had to guess, he was close to my age and should probably have been starting his own new job. His face was white and grey; the blood under his torso, soaked into the grass showed that he’d been killed by the riverside. The paramedic had been right, there were numerous stab wounds

I knew that I’d just told myself that I shouldn’t faint or throw up but I felt John’s hands holding me up as he led me away from the body.

He’s so young, I babbled as I tried to keep my body upright without assistance.

Sometimes they are, hon, he said to me with a sad look on his face.

I realised only then that my almost-faint would be on his camera feed as well just like the police, paramedics wore the camera glasses.

Sorry about that, just wasn’t expecting him to look so human, I said, trying to sound a lot more confident than I felt.

It’s no worries, your Sabrina was the same with her first dead body. Training just doesn’t really prepare you for that, he explained.

I nodded and gave myself a mental shake. I had to do as Sabrina had asked and secure a perimeter to make sure that no evidence was compromised, especially when it was looking like he died at the scene.

I got the CS secure equipment, and started to set up the first corner spike. Once all four were in position, I pressed the button that would bring up the blue and white barrier to stop anyone from entering the scene without a badge and a fingerprint scan. Once that was done, I headed down to where Sabrina was making a call on her earpiece. I waited until she’d finished. Right, that’s the SOCO on their way. Did you secure the scene? she asked, turning to look at me.

I did, made it three hundred meters, is that okay? I asked, hoping that my earlier faint would be ignored and never spoken of again.

That’ll do until the techs get here, she said. Can you start taking pictures of the body and I’ll coordinate with the detectives when they get here.

Sure, I said, heading back up to the car to collect the forensic kit. While the majority of the work would be done by those trained in collecting and interpreting forensic evidence, I assumed that Sabrina wanted to give me something to do so that I wouldn’t throw up and compromise the scene. It also gave me some practical experience. I mean, how can you screw up photos?

I grabbed the camera and went into autopilot snapping shots. I must’ve snapped about a hundred or so photos when Sabrina came back over. She was followed by a tall, dark-skinned, chubby man with cropped brown hair. He was also wearing glasses, but the fact that he wasn’t in uniform clued me in to the fact that he must have been someone from the Criminal Investigations Division, or CID.

Fyfe, this is Detective Sergeant James Flint, Sabrina said, looking very serious. He’ll be taking over the scene. He’ll need your photos, which you’ll be able to send through the cloud on the car’s tablet. You’ll also have to give him a written report, okay?

I nodded because although it was my first day, I knew all of this from training. I left the two of them at the river edge, and headed back to the car with the camera. Once the photos were up in the cloud, I was able to send them over to DS Flint’s tablet. I figured that would be the end of my time at the scene, but it turned out I was wrong.

Sabrina came up to the car and I told her I’d sent the photos on.

Good, now, DS Flint wants us to maintain the scene until the SOCO arrive, so be ready to do some standing around for a good hour or so.

Ah, the less glamorous side of police work that the training doesn’t prepare you for, I replied, a small smile on my face.

Yeah, but hey, at least it’s not raining! Sabrina joked.

I smiled and climbed out of the car.

I’m sorry about earlier, I don’t know what happened, I said as we walked side by side to the edge of the scene barrier. There was a swipe card & fingerprint scanner on each of the corner poles that allowed only those with proper clearance to enter the scene. It also recorded the name, and badge number of everyone who went through the barrier. With that in mind, I saw little point in guarding it since it would alert those inside within seconds if someone broke the barrier without proper clearance.

It happens to us all, Sabrina said, blushing slightly.

Well, it won’t happen again, I replied, trying to sound confident. Why are we guarding a scene when the barrier won’t let anyone pass? I asked, hoping that I hadn’t crossed a line or asked the stupidest question.

There’s always the possibility of someone getting inside and retrieving evidence that we didn’t even know was there. Even though the barrier will alarm without a pass code, it’s not something we like to risk in these cases. I know it’s boring work, but that’s just the issue with people new or low in the ranks.

Okay, thanks, I said, glad I’d asked and she’d explained.

I guess there were some things that couldn’t be just left to technology, no matter how advanced it was. I was about to say something else, when I felt a drop of rain, Sabrina must have felt one too because she swore under her breath.

Dammit, it better not soak us, and if it does, those techs better hurry the hell up, she muttered.

I guess it couldn’t get any worse than that, right?

[FOUR]

By the time the SOCO arrived at the scene, Sabrina and I resembled drowned rats. After five minutes with the heater blasted out as high as it would go, Sabrina touched her ear that had our joint connection to the main station. Until I got my own earpiece, I would have to rely on hers. She told them that we were stopping to get something to eat and would then go back on patrol.

I looked at the clock and realised that it was now close to midday, which would explain why my stomach was angrily growling at me. Even though it had only supposed to be an hour before the techs came, it had actually been close to two. Ah well, it was low level grunt work and I’d better get used to it. This was going to be my life until I moved up the ranks.

I’d thought that the reason Sabrina drove so fast on the way to the scene was because of the urgency needed with a suspected murder, but it turned out that she drove like that normally. Sabrina had two lead feet and she accelerated as hard and as fast as she braked. I was glad that my stomach was empty because the number of close calls made me feel like I was on a rollercoaster and about to puke.

We pulled up into a spot reserved for people with small children. I was going to protest but decided that it wasn’t the hill I wanted to die on. Since this was my first day of what could be many with Sabrina as my partner, I didn’t want to make it seem like I looked down on her. I’d already practically passed out at a murder scene, it would do me no good to tell her she should park in a regular space.

Right, since it’s your first day, I’ll go get the sandwiches and pay, but from now on you’ll be the one getting them in case we get a call, okay? Sabrina said as she handed me the earpiece so that I could talk with the station should we be needed. My tablet is synced with the car and I have it set to go off if you buzz me, so if we get called to a scene, let me know and we can get lunch later.

Okay, I replied, trying to find a comfortable